Warp-drawing machine



E. F. HATHAWAY WARP DRAWING MACHINE Jan. 8 1924.

Filed March '25 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

@NHTED STATES 4 imam? PATENT orrice.

EDGAR F. HATHAWAY, OF DOB/CHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO BARBER-COLIVIAN COMPANY, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- TION OF ILLINOIS.

WARP-DRAWING MACHINE.

Application filed March 25, 1918. Serial No. 224,431.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR F. HATI-IAWAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dorchester, in the county of Suffolk and 5 State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Tarp-Drawing Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

The invention relates to improvements 1n the means for supporting and adjusting the loom harnesses in a warp-drawing machine.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of a portion of a warp-drawing machine embodying one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail in elevation partly broken away showing on a larger scale than Fig. l

the means for supporting the harnesses;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar cross-sectional elevation on the line 5--5 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a similar cross-sectional elevation taken on the line 66 in Fig. 2.

lVhile the novel features of this invention may be usefully embodied in other forms and types of machines, herein the same is illustrated as embodied in a drawing-in machine of the general type illustrated in prior Patents Nos. 980,086 to Field et al, No.

1,188,070 to Hathaway 8; Lea, No. 871,680 to Field et al, and others.

In this type of machine, as will be seen from the patents referred to, the warp 1, harnesses 2, reed 3 and drop bars (if any) are supported in a generally parallel arrangement, while a carriage, such as that which is indicated in part at 4, carrying the principal operating mechanism is caused to travel along the bed 5 of the machine, permitting the drawing-in needle (not shown) to act progressively upon successive threads and draw them through the appropriate heddle eyes and reed dents, suitable devices being also conveyed by the operating carriage for acting upon the warp threads and heddles to separate, select and present the same to the needle, andalso for opening or spreading the reed dents for the passage of the needle. Those parts only of the machine more particularly concerned with the novel features of the present invention are herein illustrated.

Referring now to the devices for supportmg and adjusting the harnesses, I have here in shown supports for four harnesses, but any desired number may be employed. Each harness is herein shown as individually mounted upon a suitable support, such as the supporting bar 80, the supporting bars, however, being secured together and arranged so that they may be moved or adjusted longitudinally as a unit. Preferably this adjustment may be performed manually as may be required during the operation of the machine, or at any other time. Preferably'also the individual connection of each harness to its supporting bar 80 is such as to permit the manual adjustment of the individual harness lengthwise its supporting bar, while preventing displacement of the harness with relation thereto, except as the operator may manually alter the position thereof so that any pull or strain on the harnesses themselves, such, for example, as may be incidental to the engagement of the separating devices therewith, will not affect the manually fixed position given the unitary har ness-support or the fixed position given the individual harnesses on such support.

For this purpose, each harness bar is socured to its supporting bar 80 by any suitable connection, such as the pair of hangers 81 (which, for example, may be of the form shown in prior Patent No. 1,150,595), the latter depending from the movable slides carried upon the supporting bars 80. The

supporting slides comprise the two side plates 82 and the separating blocks 83, the latter having close sliding contact with the supporting bars 80 for the entire length of the sliding supports. This arrangement is such that the operator may reach up and manually grasp the sliding supports and shift them endwise along the supporting bars to adjust their position. He may thus manually adjust their position to initially align the individual harnesses when installing them in the machine, or to correct their adjustment during the operation of the ma chine. Against any pull or strain, however, exerted through the harnesses themselvesand the intermediate hanger, the blocks 83 are. effective in exerting a kind of gripping (:lll':

gagement with the bar 80, so that such a pull or strain will have no effect in displacing the sliding supports 82, but the latter will remain fixed and immovable after having been manually located. he su tiporting bars and the hangers are substantially the same construction for each of the four harnesses and require no separate description.

During the operation of the machine it is desirable from time to time to adjust the position of the harnesses in a direction of the length of the machine. lVith the position of the harnesses initially and manually adjusted by means of the sliding supports 82 when the harnesses are first installed in the machine, this adjustment may be best obtained by a simultaneous movement of all harnesses together and is herein secured by manual means under the control of the operator. 1 find itan advantage to make this adjustment under the control of the operator rather than automatically, since it .need only be made at infrequent intervals during the operation of the machine and may be best :made with reference to the most eflicient operation of the machine by the operator who is. constantly observing the action of the needle and the separating devices for the warp and harnesses.

For the purpose of manually adjusting the harnesses as a unit, I have herein connected the bars 80 (see Figs. 2 and 6) by the tie bolt which holds the tour rods rigidly together with the intervening distance'or sleeve members 91. To the end of the tie bolt 90 there is secured the rack plate 92, the teeth of which engage with the pinion 93 carried on the shaft 94:, the latter journaled in a stationary bracket 95 fastened to the frame member 96 of the machine frame. The shaft 94 has secured thereon the hand wheel 97 within the easy reach of the operator as he stands in his accustomed position in operating the machine, so that by turning the hand wheel slightly to the left or right the harness frames may be adjusted transversely inv the machine to the greatest'nicety to accord with the warp threads and reed.

the hand wheel 97 is turned, the supporting rods slide on the brackets 98, but the weight of the parts and the frictional contact there of on the supporting brackets is too great to permit any movement of the harnesses due to a pull on. the harnesses themselves, such as might occur from the engagement of the heddl'e-separating devices with. the heddles.

The described construction greatly simplilies the harness supporting and controlling mechanism, and it will further be seen that the operator may at any time manually and longitudinally adjust the individual haroperation of the machine.

lVhile I have herein shown and described for purposes of illustration one specificem- 'bodiment of the invention, it is 'to be -understood that the same is not limited to the details herein shown, but that extensive deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit thereof.

Claims:

1. In a warp-drawing machine, the com 'bination with harness-supporting bars 80, of the guide supports 98 on which they are longitudinally movable, a manual device 97 for moving said bars as a unit, and manually and longitudinally adjustable supports 82 carried by said bars.

2. In a warpdrawin'gmac'hine, means for adjustably supporting a plurality of harnesses, comprising a plurality of harness bars united to move longitudinally as a unit, means for supporting said bars to permit of such longitudinal movement, manual means for longitudinally adjusting said bars as a unit, and a plulralityof individual sliding harness supports on each bar manually adjustable lengthwise the same to permit of the individual adjustment of the barnesses relative to each other, said supporting means remaining stationary underany normal pull or displacement of the harness itself.

3. In a warp-drawing machine, the combination with a plurality of harness sup ports united to move as annit, of means for manually and longitudinally adjusting said harness supports, and means for manually and individually adjusting the harnesses with relation to Said supports, said harnesses remaining longitudinally stationary except for said manual adjustment.

4. In a warp-drawing machine, a harnes supporting member mounted for longitudinal adjustment, a plurality of supports mounted on said member for adjustment longitudinally of said member, and harness hangers depending from said supports, said supports being manually adjustable along said supporting member but remaining-stationary under any normal pull. on the harness itself.

5.. In a warp drawing machine, the com bination with a plurality of harness supports, of means for manually 'adju'stingsaid harness supports as a unit, and means for manually and individually adjusting the harnesses with relation to each other on said supports.

6. In a warp-drawing machine wherein the warp, harnesses and reed are supported in a generally parallel relation and are progressively acted upon by the drawing-in mechanism, supporting devices for the harness characterized by the manual adjustment of the harnesses as a unit in the direction of the width of the harness, and the manual and individual adjustment of each harness in the same direction, and by the further fact that the harness supports are immovable under any normal pull on the harnesses incidental to the operation of the machine.

7. A warp-drawing machine having, in combination, a supporting framework, a plurality of paralled harness-supporting bars rigidly secured together in spaced relation and slidably supported on the framework, a hand wheel supported on the forward side of the framework, and connections between the hand wheel and the set of bars for transmitting movement from the hand wheel to said bars.

8. A warp-drawing machine having, in combination, a main frame, brackets attached to the main frame, a plurality of parallel bars rigidly secured together in spaced relation and slidably supported on the brackets, a hand wheel supported on the forward side of the main frame and centrally thereof, connections between the hand wheel and the set of bars for transmitting movement from the hand wheel to said bars, and harness supports mounted on said bars and adjustable longitudinally-thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification,

EDGAR F. HATHAWAY. 

